Nature Boy
by flashpenguin
Summary: Dave storms out of the house after hearing that he is about to become a father. Searching for answers and guidance, he finds himself in the company of 3 angels. Will they show him that he has what it takes to be a great dad?
1. Chapter 1

_This story came to me about two months ago when I was visiting friends in Nashville. Unfamiliar with the city, I made a wrong turn and found myself on the east side of town. Hungry, I too, went to the Waffle House where I met the four characters who inspired this story. I don't remember their names, but I will never forget how welcome they made me feel. This story is dedicated to them._

_Song prompt: "Nature Boy" by Nat "King" Cole_

_Thanks to Tracia and Matty who keep believing in me for some unknown reason. I don't get it, but I don't know what I would do without you._

**Nature Boy**

_I don't want children. Ever!_

Two hours after storming out of the house, the words still rang in Dave Rossi's ears. Harsh. Brutal. And the truth…to a point. Maybe he shouldn't have been so blunt. Yes, once upon a time he had wanted children - as many as the good Lord was willing to give to him. But as the ex-wives came and went, and the years passed by - slow at first…now they sped by at the speed of light - he had given up the dream of ever holding his flesh and blood.

Over the years he had tried to patch his broken heart as he realized that he would never have a little girl to love and adore. He wanted to hear her say "Daddy" as she laid her head on his shoulder while they danced. He wanted to worry over make-up and heels before he thought she was ready. And vet her boyfriends as they asked permission to take his princess out. He wanted to see their face as he pulled back his jacket to reveal his side arm. He wanted to argue about wedding costs and being there when the first grandchild arrived on the scene. The grandchild he would never know.

Then there was his boy. His son. The chip off the old block. How he wanted a son to teach all the secret things men knew. He wanted a buddy and a pal - someone he could take to ball games and teach to throw a ball in the backyard. Or even pitch a tent in the backyard under the stars. His daydreams had taken them to weekend getaways to the cabin where they spent all day learning to spit and catching fish. He wanted someone to follow in his shoes.

He was destined to be the last Rossi. The lineage that had followed thru for four hundred years ended the day the doctor revealed that his sperm count was low…or in better terms: he would win the New York Lottery before he fathered a child. And he could have lived with that…until the stick turned blue.

Ashley had been so happy when she showed him the pregnancy test. The tears in her eyes showed her joy as she waited for his response. But he had remained quiet…speechless was more like it, as he stared at the thin white stick that had forever changed his future. He didn't know what to say as his heart dropped into his stomach. He wanted to believe…he _had_ to believe that the moment was real; he just needed a few more minutes to let it sink in.

Then she asked him what he was thinking. Thinking? Was she serious? So, he said the first thing that came to mind: it was a joke - it had to be a joke. Her joy had turned to shock as his words sunk in. She had sputtered that it wasn't a joke; wasn't he happy? Now their dreams were coming true.

_Dream come true? _He threw back at her angrily, what was happening was not a dream come true; it was fate playing a cruel joke on him. He grabbed his jacket and keys and headed toward the door. He had to get out of there. As he walked out, he threw over his shoulder that he didn't want children…ever!

As he drove on without direction, it dawned on him that he didn't know anymore what he wanted. Everything he had thought he wanted - marriage and children - never materialized. Until Ashley Seaver showed up. Now that it was all finally happening, he was ready to chuck it all. Running a hand over his eyes, he tried to gather his thoughts. Deep down inside he knew he didn't have what it took to raise a child. Not anymore. He needed a miracle.

Or anything that could take his mind off of the blue tear filled eyes that kept haunting him. He hadn't wanted to make her cry, but… He slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration and bit off an Italian epitaph. Why did life have to be so unfair? Even three years ago a child would have been a blessing, but now? Hell, he was grateful for each day he could still get out of bed. How was he going to do this everyday for a kid?

He shook his head. What was the definition of irony? When a fictional movie mirrored his life. He laughed at Steve Martin's character in "Father of The Bride II" when he grumbled and groaned about fatherhood so late in life. "One child. Two Seniors. Thank you." Seemed so hilarious. He chuckled every time he saw it. Now he was going to burn the movie when he got home. It wasn't funny; it was his life for crying out loud!

Looking at the clock on the dash, he realized that over two hours had passed since he had stormed out of the house and into the night. He needed someone to talk to - someone he could just dump on without feeling like he was an idiot. He wondered if Hotch was home. Picking up the phone, he dialed, but it went directly to voice mail.

"God," he prayed, "I just need an answer…something." He sure hoped the Guy Upstairs was listening, because the next call was to Father Jimmy, and that was a talk he wasn't looking forward to. He would rather a lecture or a rant, than a calm "Well, Davy, you know what your gut is telling you, so follow it." He didn't want a gut feeling, he wanted an answer to a prayer, dammit!

Looking out the windshield into the night, he watched as the signs passed by. Maybe he could get a hotel room or go to the cabin. Or he could pull over and get gas…his spirit wasn't the only thing running on fumes.

His stomach rumbled loudly in response. Or maybe food. Then he would look for an answer. Pulling into the parking lot of the Waffle House, he looked at the nearly empty restaurant. It wasn't his normal hang out, but he didn't want normal right now. He just wanted…peace and quiet.


	2. Chapter 2

**_FYI: The scene between Dave and the kids actually did happen that night at the restaurant. But instead of the little girl in the story uttering the lines said to Dave, it was the little boy (Maury) who said them to me. After I went back to my hotel room that night, I replayed the scene and this is what came out._  
**

**Nature Boy**

Getting out of the car, he pocketed the keys and walked into the building.

"Hi sweetie," the young pretty waitress greeted from behind the counter.

Dave nodded in return. "I'll be back in a minute."

The waitress smiled. "Take your time; it's a slow night."

A few minutes later, Dave sat down in the booth nearest the register and adjacent to the door - just in case of an emergency. Looking at the menu lying on the table, he scanned the items. Nothing really appealed to him, but he did need to eat before he headed back into the night.

"Are you ready to order?" The waitress stood with her pen poised above the ticket pad.

Dave glanced down at the selections. "I'll have the Angus burger. With a coffee."

"Anything else?" She wrote quickly, then waited.

"That will be all…" He looked at her name tag. "Charmaine."

Quickly the menu was taken and a cup of strong coffee was set down. "It will be just a few minutes."

Dave looked around the space. In the last booth sat three children - two girls and one boy. One of them waved. He waved back politely. One of the girls played peek-a-boo from behind her hands. He returned the gesture. A smile tugged at his lips.

"If they are bothering you, I'll tell them to stop," Charmaine spoke up to bring him back to the moment. She set the plate down

"Huh?" Dave blinked.

"The children. I had to work a double shift today and they came here after school. So far, I've been lucky that the usual crowd has been small, but I know that they are restless." She laid the silverware on the table. "Will there be anything else?"

"Everything looks good." Reaching for the condiments, Dave readied his burger. "Thanks."

"Let me know if you need anything." She returned to working the grill.

More hungry than even he realized, Dave practically inhaled his food. As he scrapped his plate, he looked up to see a pair of brown eyes staring at him.

"Do you know how to play Mario Brothers?" the little boy asked. In his hands was something that resembled a blackberry.

"I…" Dave swallowed quickly. "Mario Brothers?" he asked stupidly. "No. No I don't."

"Will you play with me?" Before Dave could answer, the little boy pushed himself into the booth and placed the game on the table. "I'll show you. Watch." Very quickly his tiny fingers moved over the buttons to start the game. "You have to speed really fast and win. Or the bad guys will get you," he added as an afterthought.

"Really?" Dave watched in fascination. "Watch out for that…"

"I see it." The car was maneuvered around the post and other objects. "Oh man. I got inked."

_Inked?_ Dave wondered what he meant but before he could ask, the game was over.

"I lost."

"You got second place," Dave observed politely.

The little boy frowned. "That was a hard one. What's your name?"

"Dave."

"I'm Maury. Now it's your turn." He thrust the game into Dave's hands. "Press those buttons. Watch out or you're going to crash!"

Dave tried to do as he was told but he still ended up in fifth place. Maury shook his head. "That wasn't very good."

"I know. Your turn." Dave handed the game back. "How old are you?"

"I'm six." Maury guided the car with expertise.

"And those are your sisters?" He nodded toward the girls staring unblinking at him.

"Yep." Maury only had eyes for the game.

"Come on over," Dave mouthed. Almost instantly the girls ran over and sat on the opposite side of the booth.

"Maury is really good," the older girl observed proudly. "He once got a hundred."

"And I'll do it again." Maury muttered as he concentrated on the fast paced game.

"How old are you?" Dave wondered.

"I'm seven," the one girl announced, "and my sister is eleven."

"Do you have any kids?" the older girl asked.

Dave thought for a moment. "No. Not yet."

"Maybe someday you will and you can teach them to play like Maury is teaching you," the little girl remarked innocently.

"Maybe," Dave returned hollowly.

"Here. Your turn."

For the next hour Dave tried to beat the score but kept coming up short. Eventually, he let go and concentrated on the scene. He barely noticed as his car zoomed past the ink spots and lava traps. He didn't even know he was holding his breath as the car sped over the checkered line.

"You did it! You got first place!" Maury cheered loudly. "I knew you could do it!"

"We did it!" Dave raised his hand for a complimentary fist bump of victory.

"You got a hundred. That's really good because you never played before." Maury patted Dave on the back.

"Come on, kids," Charmaine called out.

"Aww Mom! Can't we stay!" the children whined. "Dave finally won."

Charmaine smiled sweetly. "You have school tomorrow. Besides, I'm tired and I'm sure Dave is tired too."

Muttering and shuffling, the children moved slowly to get their coats and back packs. Dave stood up and stretched his legs.

"Thank you for a delicious dinner." Dave handed her his credit card.

Running it thru, she handed it back with the receipt and a pen. "No. Thank _you_," she corrected. "I had to work a double shift because my relief didn't come in and I was trying to keep them calm and…" She ran a weary hand over her eyes. "I've never seen them so quiet. You have the magic touch."

"I tried." Dave signed his name and left a generous tip.

"You worked a miracle. I know you don't have kids, but you would make a great father. The kids seem to like you." Charmaine closed the register and reached for her purse under the counter.

Before Dave could speak, a small force crashed into his legs. He looked down into the pretty face of the youngest girl.

"Thank you, Dave," she said shyly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Will you marry me when I grow up?"

"Ummm…" Dave searched for the right words to let her down.

"I really like you." She smiled broadly to show two missing teeth.

"I bet you already have a boyfriend."

"Uh huh," she said. "It's you." She hugged his legs tightly.

Dave opened and closed his mouth. "Thank you." He blinked back the sudden rush of tears as something he couldn't explain pierced his heart. There was a light in the little girl's eyes that shined with happiness for him. Before he could say anything else, Charmaine was ushering them out the door. He watched as they waved happily to him. In an instant, they were gone and he realized he never caught the girls' names.

Picking up his coat, he slipped his arms inside. The clock on the wall let him know that it was time to go home. It was time to confess all…if Ashley was still there.

He sighed and headed out the door to the car. And his fate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nature Boy**

Dave turned the handle on the front door and held his breath. It was unlocked. That had to be a good sign, right? Since wife number two had changed them while he was out in the field, he took an unlocked door as a very good sign. Still, there was no sign of Ashley.

Her car had been in the driveway, but that didn't mean she hadn't called one of the women to come over to help her move…along with all of his valuables. Wife number three had done that while he was on a book tour.

Switching on the lamp, he glanced around the heavily furnished room. Everything was still in its place. But where was Ashley? Making his way toward the staircase, he listened for a sound. But the air was still. Cautiously he took each step as though it was his last. There was no doubt in his mind that Emily Prentiss was waiting for him at the top.

But as he cleared the landing, he noticed the empty hallway. No assassin was waiting. In fact, nothing was waiting. Fear filled his gut. There was no way he was going to make it thru to the other side and come out in one piece.

Slowly he opened the bedroom door. Then he breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed Ashley curled up on the King sized bed. She hadn't left. Relief washed over him.

Making his way to the bed, he tried to think of what he could say to amend the harsh words he shouted. But nothing that came to mind was good enough. Trite was a better term. Maybe it was time for the truth, he reasoned and took his place on the edge of the mattress.

He noticed the tear stains on her cheeks, and his heart squeezed painfully. Gently, he brushed a lock of hair back. How could he have broken her heart?

Ash stirred in her sleep. Opening her eyes, she blinked quickly as she tried to focus on the figure sitting beside her. "Dave?" her voice was thick with sleep.

"Hi, Bellisima."

"You came back," she whispered. The tears filled and fell. "I thought you were gone for good…" She swallowed and tried to fight back the sobs she thought were gone. "I called Hotch and he didn't know where you were…and Emily wanted to shoot you…"

"So my premonition of her at the top of the stairs wasn't all in vain," he quipped.

Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dave shook his head. "Nothing."

"Why did you leave?" she sniffled and took a swipe at her nose.

"I had to," he replied simply. "I had some thinking to do. And being here wasn't going to help me sort things out."

"So you ran?"

"I did."

"But you came back. Why?" Her blue eyes searched his for answers she desperately needed.

"Because I had to…I acted stupidly tonight and said things I didn't mean." Dave ducked his head in shame.

"You said you didn't want the baby," she accused.

Dave's head shot up. "No," he disagreed vehemently. "I never said I didn't want the baby; I said that I didn't want children. There is a difference."

"This is _children_," she argued logically.

It was a no win situation and she held all the cards. Dave's shoulders slumped in defeat as he realized that it was time to come out with the truth.

"I should have said that I didn't want to be a father," he corrected.

Ash considered his words. "Why?"

"Because, Bellisima, it wasn't my fate to every have children. Have you ever wondered why my three marriages were childless? Or why no one has ever come after me for child support?" he asked. Ash shook her head. "God didn't want me to have children...I guess that's why I was so free and easy when I did my first tour of the FBI. My sperm count is almost zero…and I guess that was my 'do whatever I wanted without consequences' card."

"But you wanted children, right? With your wives?" Ash held her breath.

"Every man wants a child to carry on his lineage, I suppose. And I prayed for a child like nothing else in my life. I don't think there is a position my exes and I didn't try or a method we didn't use." He waited for a second before continuing. "I once told Hotch that if any of my marriages had had children, maybe I would have fought harder to salvage things."

"But we're not married and we are going to have a child," Ash pointed out. "Where does that put me in the scheme of things? Are you going to leave without fighting?"

Dave smiled. "I am going to fight for you. You see, tonight when I left, I just wanted to drive until I disappeared. All I could think of was how life was so unfair. Here I am, nearly sixty years old, and I'm bringing a child into the world. My knees are shot and I'm not half the father I could have been twenty - or even ten years ago," he admitted with a shake of his head. Ash started to speak, but Dave pressed a finger to her lips.

"All I wanted was an answer…and it came in the form of three angels who helped me to see that not only do I have what it takes to be the best father possible." he finished. "They showed me that it's not all about me and that I need to fight if I am going to keep you. I want this baby."

Ash absorbed Dave's confession. There was a part of her that wanted to lash out and hurt him the way he had hurt her. She wanted to storm out and make him worry the way he made her worry as he drove off into the night.

But he had come back to her. Now she had to make a decision.

"You hurt me," she accused sadly.

"I did. I'm not proud of it."

"I should call Pen and JJ," she continued. "Or maybe Hotch and Derek, and let them deal with you. You are a jerk!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Nature Boy**

Her words hung in the air for the longest time as Dave considered a response.

"I am," he finally confirmed and lowered his eyes. There was no way he was walking out of the house alive.

"There is no reason I should give you a second chance," she stated angrily. "Except for one." Reaching between them, Ash took Dave's in hers and held it tenderly. Then she placed it on her abdomen.

Feeling as thought the air had been sucked out of the room, Dave kept his hand on her stomach. It was too soon to feel anything, but the realization that his child was in the woman he loved was more than enough to bring tears to his eyes.

"My father died when I was twenty one," Dave said softly. "He worked two jobs to provide for us; he was a good, God fearing man, and though he did what he could to make sure that I had everything a kid could want, he died before I could get to know him. I never got to ask him the things I wanted and needed to know. Deep down inside, I'm afraid that could happen to my child." Dave used every bit of strength he had to fight back the tears that ended up falling like rain.

Ash pushed herself into a sitting position. Gently her hand cupped his cheek. "Dave," she comforted, "I know how you feel. I would be lying if I said I didn't have my fears about parenting. At least your dad was a great guy; mine went down in the annals of criminal history. You met him; you know what a monster he was," she reminded him. "And that gene could be passed on to our child. I'm so afraid I could be bringing another George Seaver into this world."

"The odds on that are very low," Dave tried to reassure her.

"I know. But that doesn't stop me from worrying. What if I fail and our child takes that path? Is there a guarantee that he or she will turn out good?" Ash wept openly.

Dave took the hand cupping his cheek and pulled it down to press a kiss to it. "I've seen too much to lie and say yes. You know as well as I do that there is no guarantee in life." His eyes flicked down, then up to look into Ash's teary blue ones. "We won't fail, Ashley. I won't let that happen."

"How do you know?" she whispered.

"Because we have love between us and for our child. Without love, things fail. Your father couldn't love, but you can. You can give our child something you never had," he encouraged as he brushed the tears away.

"How do you know?"

"Because you gave me something I never had before. I love you, Ashley Rossi."

Ash tried to speak, but the words failed her. "What…? What did you say?" she asked when she could find her voice.

"I said 'Ashley Rossi'," Dave repeated. "Unless you object."

"You're asking me to marry you?" Her eyes searched his for any hint that he might be joking.

He gave his infamous crooked smile. "That was the idea, yes."

"Is it because of the baby?"

"And if I said yes, would you say no?" he asked honestly.

"I'm not sure. What if this doesn't work? The fourth time is not the charm."

"Maybe it is. The three times before, I did it by the book, and look how it turned out. Who says the carriage can't come before marriage?" he rationalized.

"That does make sense," she smiled. "I guess things happen for a reason." She took a deep breath. "Yes, I will marry you -"

Dave didn't need to hear anymore. Covering her mouth with his, he kissed her with all the love and passion he had held back on for so long. As he outlined the seam of her lips with his tongue, he tasted her tears and vowed that he would make sure that all of her tears from that moment on would be happy. The thought of loving her for the rest of his life danced in his head. With a moan, he deepened the kiss until they both had to break for air.

"Wow!" Ash gasped. "You never kissed me like that before." She relished in lying in the protective embrace of his strong arms.

"I've never been in love before."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe everything that has happened up until now was the lesson I needed to learn in order to get my reward."

Ash looked flummoxed. "I don't understand."

"A long time ago, I heard someone say 'the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return'," he quoted. Then he laid his hand on her stomach. "I have…and then some."

"I love you." She didn't try to hide her tears of joy. Her arms hugged him tight.

"I'm going to love you every day of my life," he vowed. Ash pulled back to look at him.

"I can't wait," she teased. Her eyes full of love.

Dave laid her on the mattress and covered her body with his - taking care not to crush her.

"Good," he growled. "Because, 'every day' starts today." Dave cut off her response with a hot kiss and showed her how it was going to be for a lifetime.

And she wasn't disappointed.


End file.
